Lingering Shadow
by Ala Alba EC
Summary: There's a magical girl who didn't simply fall into despair, she who was known as the Shadow Witch.


**Puella Magi Madoka Magica fanfiction**

**Lingering Shadow**

**88888 **

"Hei, Kyubey… just how many of us that knows the truth?"

The white creature stared at her with its red eyes before slowly blinking and turning to Mitakihara's night landscape. Its voice was steady, like someone who discussed the weather.

"Not much. Anyone who discovers the truth will soon turn into a Witch."

"Is that so?"

Kyubey tilted its head. This girl was so calm for someone who has her Soul Gem almost cracking. Unusual and rare among them, maybe she was already expecting it to be this way. It had contracted female population of this region for several generations, and for an individual to think in a way it has never thought…

Curious…

This girl made her contract with him about a year ago. At that time, she was a quite strong magical girl. Calm, wise, and skilled (she said that she learned those techniques from movies), not to mention that her wish takes advantage of her karma well. A perfect magical girl, it could say.

And of course, that means a perfect Witch candidate.

The thing is, just like many before her, she thinks that her power is meant to bring justice. Kyubey remembered its discussion with her about it. She met a girl with half-lidded eyes staring at her doing her job from a balcony and when the girl called her out of the blind righteousness, they had a long philosophical debate about justice. The half-lidded girl won, and she went back to it in a defeated posture before asking its opinion. It said what it believes, strengthened the mystery girl's argument. She then started to have her doubt about herself, a lot.

And that's before she discovered the truth.

Her acquaintance turned in front of her, the Cat Witch Stacy, and forcing her to kill her. The turned girl was always weaker than her, making the Witch strived to be even stronger than her mentor, and her victory was expected; one sword slash and the battle was over. But she let her beloved great red sword fell to the ground without care, and Kyubey knew that only matter of time she will follow.

She stopped actively hunting the Witches, opting to do her routine from the time before she made her contract and only fight when the Witch taunting her right in front of her face. She grew weaker each day, with her anchor to her body slowly decays along the time. No one realized it, or her change in mood and night schedule; her beloveds were not here at the moment to fill the duty. After seeing the first crack on the murky red stone, she called it to this not yet finished construction to keep her company.

A loud sound that warned them of the fifth crack, she only sighed to herself.

She can be considered as an irregular. She fights for justice, her wish was selfless, and her fall was traumatic. An ordinary circumstance of a magical girl. And yet, why she wasn't breaking like her soul? Kyubey is logical, just like everyone of its kind. That conclusion is not. So it asked her, not because of its personal curiosity, but for sake of its and its kind research of humans' philosophy and line of thought.

"Why are you doing this?" She smirked.

"Why? I'm not exactly sure myself. Maybe because I'm not a saint and have no right to judge on your method. After all, you are fighting for the universe; our sacrifice is worth it, in a way…"

"…"

"All my life… I've already judged too many things, I judged those Witches because I thought they are no more than abominations. I'm a fool, but you're right, it's because I didn't asked."

"You are not the only one."

"I can imagine the scenario." She laughed, making it even more confused

"I still don't understand. Why you still can be this calm? Every magical girl in confrontation of their demise is not exactly in a right state of mind by your standard, and yet you still can carry on with our conversation coherently. Just what makes you persist?"

"Who says that I'm in a right state of mind? If I do, then I'll keep hunting for Witches. It's our nature to be greedy, and it's our instinct to keep surviving."

She then opened up her palm, where the now damaged stone rested. Another crack, and this time she cringed. Grasping at her chest, it seemed like her façade is finally reaching it limit. She climbed this building in her transformed form, black robe with flaring rims, and she still doesn't dismiss it. It can't understand her reason, for it only for sentimental value. Want to spend her last time basking in her sacrifice, she had said.

Mitakihara's construction went along nicely. Most of the skyscrapers were already finished and people will start to move in a month or two. Pity she had to use this one structure as her dying place; she basically damned it to be abandoned. She had considered killing herself. After all if she turned into a Witch, she will hurt and kill many people.

But she had stopped really caring about it. She has no right; she's not strong enough to make a change. 'Only those who had power can become justice.' The balcony girl had said to her. Her ideology came crashing down with those words. What she did wasn't justice.

It was self-righteousness.

"This world already has its own law. I was selfish. I forced my 'justice' into those who not believe. There's nothing eternal in justice. Only the truth that is undying."

"What are you implying?"

"I will turn into a Witch, that's fine… That's my destiny the moment I made my contract. After all, if I kill myself, you can't harvest the energy from the explosion of my Soul Gem. In that way, my death can't really have its meaning. Might as well go through with it till the end. Not to mention that suicide is a sin, and I've sinned too much already. Adding that one will only make my burden even worst. This way, I can accept my death in a way that I know it can be useful."

"Hinata Makoto… you are indeed an irregular. If only you were born among us, you can make a very good Incubator."

"I will consider it as a compliment… If only you can make a system that is more merciful for us…"

She walked to the building's edge. Sixth floor, with workers' lunch tent under her. She had to make sure that at least her body can be found before her own barrier swallows it. The last crack finally made her Soul Gem burst, her body slumped forward and fell from the building. As her soul distorted and twisted, her physical self safely went out of her barrier with the tent canvas soften her fall. She was in a good condition, albeit with several broken bones and cracked skull. Kyubey stared at the towering shadow, undaunted before turning away. Its work in this place was finally complete.

The next day, the workers found her and brought her back to her family. Her father bawled uncontrollably after he saw her prone figure inside the coffin. He had quit his job and took the first plane from England after he heard the news. As he and several of her close friend cried at her 'death', Elsa Maria had just awaken from her incubation phrase.

Stained glass as the sky and darkness as her surroundings. But she only had one thing visible in her eyes. The towering structure of red, her right hand twitches in instinct for its familiar weight. The monstrance held by a giant statue which arm she stood on, reminding her of her weapon. But she doesn't want to anymore; she doesn't want to use it as her weapon anymore. And so, she kneels. Absentmindedly acknowledges the slithering masses of snakes, sheep, rabbits, and tigers, she prays for her kind's and her own salvation.

After the problem of that suicide, the police and the construction agents considered it safe to continue the project. Twelve workers were sent to the top most floor of the building, but there weren't any of them that come back for lunch. The next day, five police officers were stepping on said floor. They too disappeared.

Elsa Maria was merciful. She stationary enough that no one other than people that come to where she had anchored herself was being absorbed. Another group of the foolish that just can't take a hint had stepped inside her world, she let her Sebastian's feed on them before she turns them into another of her familiars. After this batch, no one came anymore. People finally deemed the floor as a lost cause after a helicopter and its crews suddenly disappear when they tried to investigate from air. The story of the deadly sixth floor becomes quite an urban legend of Mitakihara.

After several years and many silencing on the higher-ups part, there isn't a single soul that can make sure about this story except for the evidence; the half finished building with it abandoned top floor. Any curious children that make themselves a dare of visiting her domain will never been found just like many others before her.

This year's Walpurgisnacht is coming to this town, Elsa Maria silently mused. She met a girl that had been preparing for the event. A magical girl in purple that can spawn fireworks out of nowhere. Elsa expecting a fight even though she was not budging from her place, but the girl turned away from her barrier without doing anything. Elsa Maria left confused at the lack of action. Like she was expecting something appear inside her barrier except her.

At least until the little mermaid came not even five minutes later.

One of her Sebastian's hissed; a clear sign of danger. Elsa scoffed at this, this girl almost had nothing else to spare. Eyes of those who were sinned, a self-righteous fool that had mistaken her reason of fighting. Of all she could see from her was stubbornness of clinging to a last thread of her so called 'justice'. Elsa Maria didn't like this girl. But one thing that ticked her off more than anything else.

Why should another be self-righteous more than her when it is her forte?

She never likes the label, but she wore it with pride so others don't have to.


End file.
